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PPM 1-15, Program Modification or Discontinuance Review Procedure |
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Responsible Office: Academic Affairs |
1.0 PURPOSE
This policy defines the role of the faculty and the Faculty Senate when a program has been recommended for discontinuance or when modifications have been recommended which would adversely or critically affect faculty in a program or academic unit.
2.0 REFERENCES
2.1 Utah Board of Higher Education Policy R401
2.2 Utah Board of Higher Education Policy R481
2.4 Utah Board of Higher Education Policy R482
2.5 Utah Code Ann. § 53B-16-103
3.0 DEFINITIONS
3.1 Program - a program of curriculum that leads to the completion of a degree, diploma, certificate, or other credential.
3.2 Organization unit - the various academic colleges and the Library.
3.3 Program or organization unit discontinuance - termination of the program or organization unit. This does not include program or organization unit modification or discontinuance due to bona fide financial exigency, which is governed by R482.
3.4 Program or organization unit modification - changes to such a degree that a faculty member’s position is no longer needed. This may include suspension of a program for a period of time such that a faculty member’s position would be discontinued for longer than one academic year.
4.0 POLICY
4.1 Program or organization unit modification or discontinuance may be initiated by the President, the Provost or a vice president, a dean, a department chair, a program director, or a group or member of the faculty of the affected organizational unit.
4.2 Any deliberation related to program or organizational unit modification or discontinuance should involve the following groups or individuals:
4.2.1 the faculty of the affected program or academic unit,
4.2.2 the chair of the affected unit,
4.2.3 an academic dean,
4.2.4 the Provost,
4.2.5 the President, and
4.2.6 the Faculty Senate.
4.3 Prior to the institution making a final decision to modify or discontinue a program or organization unit, the program review procedure described in this policy shall be initiated. The Program Review Committee, as described below, shall conduct the review.
4.4 The Program Review Committee is to act in an advisory role and its recommendation is to be seen as vital input to the process of program/unit review with the President’s decision to be taken as final.
4.5 Academic programs/units do not have legal rights.
4.6 Program review cannot be a substitute for personnel reviews and should be conducted independently of personnel reviews.
4.7 Program modification or discontinuance may be based on any number of factors including, but not limited to, student demand, employment opportunities, quality of the program, contribution to the University’s mission, economic considerations, etc.
5.0 REVIEW PROCESS
5.1 Initiation of Process
5.1.1 In order to initiate the modification or discontinuance of a program, the entity or person designated in section 4.1 must submit the appropriate form in the curriculum management system. Completion of the form will serve as notification to the Faculty Senate chair. Timing of initiation of program modification or discontinuance must be aligned with the academic calendar in order to be included in the catalog for the next semester. Entities should plan submission and approval accordingly. Definitive timelines for the process may be set by the President in order to plan changes efficiently and with appropriate notice.
5.1.2 The Faculty Senate chair must then inform the following affected parties of the pending program modification or discontinuance:
5.1.2.1 the faculty of the affected program or academic unit,
5.1.2.2 the chair of the affected unit,
5.1.2.3 the academic dean of the affected unit,
5.1.2.4 the Provost,
5.1.2.5 the President, and
5.1.2.6 the Faculty Senate.
5.1.3 A review of the proposed program modification or discontinuance can be initiated by submitting written notice to the Faculty Senate chair after notifying the affected parties. In order to initiate a review, a written request from any person in an adversely or critically affected academic program/unit should be made to the Faculty Senate chair. Upon receipt of the written request, the chair of the Faculty Senate shall send written notification that a review has been requested to all affected parties as described in section 5.1.2. Pending a program modification or discontinuance review, no other action regarding this program may be taken. If no review is requested, then the Faculty Senate chair notifies the President that the program modification or discontinuance review was not requested.
5.1.4 The Faculty Senate Executive Committee will assemble the modification/discontinuance program review committee as described in section 5.2.1 below.
5.1.5 The review will be conducted expeditiously so as to not encumber the institutional planning process, interfere with time constraints imposed by external agencies, or unduly delay any affected faculty in their adjustments to the proposed changes. Upon completion of the review, the completed report must be sent to the faculty, chair, and dean of the affected program or academic unit.
5.1.6 All affected parties will then typically be given five academic calendar days to verify the accuracy of the data used in the report. Should significant discrepancies exist in the data of the report, the committee must reconvene to revise the report and re-vote on the final report. Then the final report is to be forwarded to all affected parties in section 5.1.2. Normally, the review process should be conducted and the University President’s final decision should be completed as expeditiously as possible and reported to all affected parties as described in section 5.1.2.
5.2 Program Review Committee Composition
5.2.1 The Program Review Committee shall consist of the Executive Committee of the Faculty Senate and only those substitute faculty members selected by the Executive Committee as to ensure voting representation from each organizational unit. A meeting of the Program Review Committee will be called by the chair of the Faculty Senate. The Committee will then elect its own chair. The chair and vice chair of the Faculty Senate shall serve on the Committee as ex-officio members without vote. The Committee shall consult with the President and Provost during the course of its deliberations.
5.2.2 Any member of the Program Review Committee who is from the program under review is ineligible to vote on that case. Only one vote from each organizational unit will be allowed.
5.2.3 In the event that any member of the Executive Committee is unable to participate on the Program Review Committee for any reason, a substitute member from the absentee’s respective organizational unit shall be selected by the Executive Committee.
5.3 Program Modification/Discontinuance Review Procedure
5.3.1 The Program Review Committee shall involve the following people in their discussions:
5.3.1.1 persons selected by the affected program/organizational unit who are members of that program/organization,
5.3.1.2 the department chair over the affected unit,
5.3.1.3 the dean over the affected unit, and
5.3.1.4 appropriate resource persons invited by the Program Review Committee chair.
5.3.2 Information pertaining to the case will be sought from appropriate sources.
5.3.3 Questions and clarification will be pursued until the Program Review Committee feels satisfactorily informed about the case.
5.3.4 Deliberation will occur in closed session by the Program Review Committee with a Committee vote being taken by secret ballot.
5.3.5 A recommendation will be made by the Program Review Committee based on a majority vote.
5.3.6 After the data verification process described in section 4.1.5, the final Program Review Committee recommendation and the final vote tally will be forwarded to the Provost and the President of the University for their consideration.
5.3.7 A copy of the Program Review Committee recommendations will be forwarded to the affected program/unit.
5.3.8 The University President will then prepare a final decision with copies to be sent to the affected program/unit and the Program Review Committee.
5.4 Additional Requirements
5.4.1 If a party wishes to re-initiate program modification or discontinuance review within three years of that program’s most recent review, the party must demonstrate to the chair of the Faculty Senate that significant changes have occurred to the program that could affect the review. Without significant changes, the program modification or discontinuance review cannot be initiated more than once every three years. If the chair of the Faculty Senate determines no significant changes have occurred, then the previous program review committee recommendation stands.
5.4.2 If academic/unit program review ensues as a result of the strategic planning process (PPM 1-14), adequate time should be allowed for the review and response by the Program Review Committee before a final institutional decision is made which would adversely or critically affect an academic unit or program.
Revision History
Creation Date: 7-8-93 (formerly PPM 1-14a)
Amended: 12-13-11; 4-27-23; 9-19-24